A building boom is also well under way. Jeff Mann is one of the developers of 199 Cook St. — a new building under construction that will serve as a shared office space for creative companies.

About 10-15 years ago we started to see the artist community that was shifting out of Williamsburg and Greenpoint and ultimately to Bushwick," Mann said. "Since then, Bushwick has really become a hub."

"Bushwick is experiencing a renaissance that it's never seen before," Akil Rossi told PIX11 News.

Rossi works in commercial real estate. He says word is now out about why Bushwick is unique.

"You definitely have people who want to be in Bushwick for the culture," Rossi added.

Riding through Bushwick, you can see the mix of homes. The old buildings now standing next to the new. Real estate agent Hakim Wray says people want to live here for several reasons.

"I think it's price, location to Manhattan — the J train is a few blocks away so they get to manhattan pretty quickly," Wray said.

With all that has changed in Bushwick, some things remain the same. In John Moreira's book, the core of this community is still here.

"We kind of welcome them, but we also want them to know the we were already here," Moreira said. "This was a community here. We belong here."